Numbers
7 species in North America: 6 listed at
nearctica.com, and an additional species (
C. cubaensis) listed at
Beetles of Florida
2 species in Canada (chevrolati; glyphicus)
more than 400 described species worldwide
Size
adult length about 4-6 mm
larva length to 7-8 mm
Identification
Adult: body ovate, yellowish or reddish-brown to black; each elytron with 5-10 longitudinal grooves (striae or sulci)
Range
most of United States and southeastern Canada
represented by many species in several other areas of the world, and especially diverse in tropical Africa and South America
Habitat
ponds, pools, puddles, hollow trees, leaf litter, and temporary pools in North America
also found in water-filled flower bracts and leaf axils of tropical plants
Season
mostly March to August in North America
all year in the tropics
Food
larvae and adults feed on copepods, ostracods, springtails, and aquatic fly larvae
Remarks
In Ecuador, many species are found in fallen water-filled flower bracts of the palm tree Iriartea deltoidea. Large bracts may hold up to 5 litres of water, and contain more than 100 individual beetles.
Internet References
adult photo and overview of C. glyphicus (Charles Staines, Discover Life in America, dlia.org)
presence in Florida of 5 species (Michael Thomas, Beetles of Florida, Florida State Collection of Arthropods)
presence in Michigan of 2 species (Ethan Bright, Aquatic Insects of Michigan, U. of Michigan)
presence in Wisconsin; PDF doc of 2 species (Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources)
presence in Iowa; PDF doc of 2 species (Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources)
presence in California of 2 species (Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, California)
notes on C. blatchleyi and chevrolati; PDF doc "Two New Species of Water Beetles from Florida" (Frank Young, 1953,
Psyche 60:21-27, Cambridge Entomological Club)
number of world species (N. Reintjes and F. Pederzani, Coleopterological Review)
distribution in Canada; PDF doc of 2 species (D.J. Larson and R.E. Roughley, Dytiscidae,
in Checklist of Beetles of Canada and Alaska)
Contributed by
Robin McLeod on 10 January, 2007 - 7:19am
Last updated 3 April, 2007 - 6:10pm
